Good concept, poorly executed.

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This movie begins approximately 80,000 years ago with a primitive tribe known as the "Ulam" huddled in a cave around a large fire. Unaware of how to actually start a fire this particular resource is so valuable to them they keep it going at all times. Unfortunately, when an even more primitive tribe called the "Wagebu" attack their encampment the Ulam tribe is forced to abandon their fire. However, prior to this surprise attack, the tribe had taken the precaution of creating a portable device to keep the embers alive long enough to restart a fire should they be forced to relocate to a new location in just such an emergency. What the tribe doesn't count on, however, is an attack by a pack of wolves which forces them into a swamp and their portable fire subsequently being extinguished by water. This results in the patriarch of the tribe selecting three young men to leave the group in order to find a new source of fire and then to bring it back to the rest of the group who are now left to suffer in the cold and wet environment that they now inhabit. Yet even though these three men face all kinds of challenges along the way they also encounter new situations which further increases their knowledge as well. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie, I will just say that this turned out to be a fascinating film which managed to combine some rather imaginative history with both humor and human drama in a such a way as to produce a highly entertaining movie. Admittedly, the dialogue is extremely basic and the actors are required to improvise as best as they can in several scenes. But even then they perform more than adequately for the task at hand. That said, however, there are a couple of scenes of a sexual nature which are clearly not suitable for young audiences. In any case, I liked this film and encourage all mature viewers with an open mind to give it a look. Definitely above average.

I had originally watched this movie back in 1982, when I was just an early teenager, and as an adult, I could only remember bits and pieces of what happened. So I recently decided to watch it again, fully expecting it to be cheesy and campy experience, the way many old movies seem to go.However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Quest For Fire has aged quite well. If anything, the grittiness of the 1982 film stock really adds to the texture of the movie. It really does feel like you're watching a world from 80,000 years ago, mainly because of the rugged landscape, but also because of the exotic wildlife and the wonderful performances. If you haven't seen this movie, and you have a healthy attention span, I would recommend watching it. If you saw the movie years ago and have written it off as a silly caveman movie, give it a second chance!

If you can get past the fact thata) different types of early hominids all exist at the same time, and that b) a pack of hobbling neanderthals/homo sapiens(?) manage to wander across nearly all types of terrain in an astonishing short time frame (and still find back to their tribe which is _still_ for some absurd reason standing in the same small patch of land in the swamp whence they had left...),then I guess it's a passable, even engaging, movie.The wildly varying outdoor shots are beautiful but of course totally out-of-place.When they chose to film in multiple (and likely very expensive) outdoor locations probably meant that they could only afford to show exactly two saber-toothed tigers and a pack of mammoths...Only the two most recognized animals that everyone will expect to see in a "Stone Age" film? Pathetic.I thought the story itself is/was powerful. Primarily the constant changes in the scenery was distracting as were smaller or bigger absurdities throughout the movie.I'd personally been very cautious about portraying sexual behavior in such a way. Tribes are bound to have a pecking order, particularly when it comes to mating. Such a casual way of raping at will would probably have been a big no-no: that "right" is reserved for a chief or chiefs and would in effect require their consent or facing their (=basically the whole tribe's) wrath. Punishment by death springs to my mind without much effort...I dunno. Painting "cave men" as walking penises just runs against the common logic. When it comes to your own tribe - that is. When you are out and about, it's always a different story. Even still.I can't help but feel that gratuitous sex scenes and most of the times bare female body of a leading lady were planted for the interest of an average guy (Annaud, including). Men who trashed the film apart from previous reasons, seem to indicate that the target was met.But seriously, if you can sharpen your choice of weapon, you certainly can come up with a rudimentary defense system for your own (not to mention your tribe's) protection (other than just a lone watchman).Frankly, the film is just too damn inaccurate for its own good.

OK, well, even attempting to make this into a movie was innovative, especially at that time. I read the novel that this was based on, many years ago, and liked it a lot. To the best of my recollection, Ika and her tribe never appeared in it, so the filmmakers added that bit. The cinematography was beautiful, and the Scottish locations helped get across the cold of Ice Age Europe. The struggle to survive really came across as well. The special animal effects, were much remarked on at the time, but look rather cheesy now. However, I kind of like that. You really had to work at it back in the day, unlike now, when the computer will put anything at all onto your film. Ron Perlman looked seriously simian, and you have to give him credit, since he doesn't look that way normally. And this was the breakout role for Rae Dawn Chong, who also nailed her very odd role. Worth checking out.